Birthday Bonanza - Part One

 I know, how many parts can there be to a birthday bonanza? Well given that mine and the chap’s birthdays are a fortnight apart, and I have a tendency to drag my birthday out for as long as possible, this could end up being a long series!

Where did last week go? From Wednesday onwards it just seemed to fly. Wednesday afternoon I took delivery of the new couch that my Mum kindly bought me for my upcoming birthday. I’ve been looking for a second couch for my living room for months now, so I was elated to stumble on this gorgeous herringbone tweed one the previous week. I don’t buy brand new sofas. Anyone with a young child and a dog will understand why, and I had in my head what I was looking for. Not too pale (for reasons given above) the right size for the space, comfy and inviting and robust. The new sofa ticks all of the boxes, although I thought having an extra sofa would give everyone space, it seems that wherever I sit, little Miss and Thelma need to sit too, but at least this sofa is a bit bigger so we can all pile on comfortably.

Wednesday evening we were back to swimming lessons for little miss. Given my tastecard is about to expire, I thought we’d have one last 25% off meal at the pub near the pool, afterwards. Everywhere seems to have some manner of ‘Oktoberfest’ on at the moment, so I had a delicious German style hotdog for dinner. Having been to Oktoberfest in Munich many years ago, I can say that this wasn’t quite the same, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

Thursday I was off to York for a day in the office. It was also the chap’s birthday. We met after work, and walked up to Miller and Carter, a posh steak house that I’d booked a table at for the occasion.

The chap is a steak monster, so I’m always safe booking us a steak restaurant. We had been eyeing this one up for a while so it was nice to finally try it out. It was almost empty when we arrived, but soon started filling up as the evening progressed. 

We’ve agreed this year not to go too crazy with gifts and instead to spend the money on an experience. Maybe a show or a gig, we haven’t found one yet but we’ll keep looking. Nonetheless I’d brought him a small gift, which he opened before our three course feast was served.

The food was amazing! We both started with Calimari, followed by steak with various sides, whilst I enjoyed a Pavlova for dessert and the chap had a chocolate brownie, as well as a complimentary birthday brownie. All washed down with a glass of red wine. 

It was a lovely experience, and the waiters were absolutely splendid too. Admittedly we were so full by the time we left that I think we waddled along the river to the train station. Neither of us are particularly good at recognising when we’re full. 

In the blink of an eye it was the weekend. Saturday was a wash out and we ventured only as far as town. I had to pop into one of our local galleries, Woodend, to pick up the drawing that little Miss had exhibited earlier in the year.

This particular gallery was once home to the Sitwell family. The delightfully eccentric Edith Sitwell, her parents and brothers. It always makes me quite happy to visit here, not to mention the fabulous view from the back of the gallery on a clear day. Saturday was definitely not a clear day! 

Sunday was a completely different weather story. Whilst the nip definitely stayed in the air it was dry and bright. We decided to take a trip to Helmsley. I know I’ve mentioned Helmsley on the blog before, it’s a gorgeous town on the Moors and a favourite haunt of mine.

A lovely view from the cafe

A very inviting space

Lined with original stone cottages and a beautiful church. It’s idyllic.

Sometimes I think it’s even better on a Sunday. With less people around we were able to wander peacefully, stopping off in cafes and pubs along the way and perusing the beautiful shops. 

Everyone loves an old fashioned sweet shop

It was a perfect end to the week! 

Groundhog Day

You know it’s been a dull week when the highlight has been taking delivery of a new washing machine. Not that a new washing machine isn’t exciting, and being able to wash my clothes again after my old one died at the weekend is something I’m grateful for, but it’s hardly headline grabbing. No, the week has largely been school runs and WFH. 

In the absence of anything more thrilling, I will share my week’s outfits. Don’t get me wrong, I always love looking at other people’s outfits, I just usually only share mine if it’s special, a day out or a date or something, so here goes!

Monday - school runs and WFH. I actually like this little dress, and prefer it now the cooler weather is coming because I can wear thick tights.

Shoes - Kickers, dress - city chic

Tuesday - I’m not as fed up as this photo would suggest! I wear this dress a lot, as well as the Breton top, the DMs are about 8 years old now and still going strong.

Shoes - Dr. Martens, dress - City Chic, top - the Breton shirt company

Wednesday - washing machine delivery day! I didn’t realise this top was as unflattering as it is, until I saw this photo! Nonetheless I tried it with a belt later and it looked much better, and I like the sleeves so I’m keeping it.

Trainers - Adidas, jeans - Dorothy Perkins, Top - Avenue

Thursday - A favourite combo of mine, a t-shirt (Florence and the machine merch) and a long skirt. Ok, so the Ugg dupe slippers are doing nothing for my style credentials, but I did wear them for most of the day so I’m being authentic.

Skirt - Primark, Top - Florence and the Machine gig, Belt ?

Friday - My annual blood test for my hypothyroidism and working from home again. Fish and chip night and a welcome end to the week.

Shoes - Hotter, dress - homemade, duster - one hundred stars, scarf - gift from the chap years ago, belt ? 

I was also sad on Friday to hear that one of my favourite brands, Irregular Choice is ceasing trading. I have three pairs of their shoes and one handbag. I’ve loved their quirky designs for years, I don’t think there’s anything else quite like them on the market. I hope they can find a way to keep going.

My IC collection 

Friday evening, I decided a wander to the seafront for hot chocolate was in order. It was a good call. It’s so quiet down there now that all of the tourists have gone. It’s this time of year when I am most grateful to live here. I know everyone loves the sea in summertime, but as Autumn draws in and it starts becoming more of a wild beast, throwing seaweed up on the sand and spray on the air. That, for me, is when it’s truly beautiful.

The weekend was fairly chilled. A potter around town where I discovered a new crystal shop on Saturday. I didn’t take an outfit shot, but you can see a glimpse of my Beetlejuice denim jacket in this selfie, which got some compliments around town. Another well chosen gift from the chap a few years back.

A run to the tip and sausage casserole in the slow cooker on Sunday, and that was the week, done!

Back to School

 Start of term seemed to come round all of a sudden, and with it the first pangs of Autumn. A slight chill in the air and a more golden sunlight, not to mention the torrential downpour we had midweek, which everyone I spoke with agreed we could have done with a couple of weeks earlier to dampen the raging fire on the nearby moors.

A very Autumnal feel (taken from my window)

The weather is not ours to control. Anyway, we quickly got back into the familiar school run routine, and then on Wednesday I went to get my nails done at lunchtime.

I don’t usually go for a neutral colour, but like the weather, I couldn’t make my mind up, so opted for this nice light coffee colour. 

The week flew by, and once I logged off on Friday I was heading down to Malton to meet the chap for a curry. I overdressed, of course, but I don’t care. I love an opportunity to put my heels on, and these ones I bought back in February and hadn’t yet worn were an absolute delight. 

It was cool enough that I needed my heavier knit River Island metallic dress (a go to of mine that’s definitely appeared on the blog before), my Mint Velvet leather jacket and of course, my Balenciaga bag which I bought in Paris and have been glued to ever since.

Shoes - Carvela, dress - River Island, Jacket - Mint Velvet (via eBay), bag - Balenciaga

I still wasn’t warm enough by the time evening drew in. This time of year seems to be defined by dressing either too warm or not warm enough! We opted for a South Indian restaurant called Kerala, which was a bit different from the standard curry places we usually visit. I had a fish curry, which was delicious.

Happy curry face

Afterwards, we wandered off to find a bar when we were drawn by the sounds of music coming from behind the Brass Castle Brewery Tap. 

There were a couple of guys playing guitar and singing a mixture of songs from Johnny Cash, Stereophonics, Crowded House etc, and a group of obvious Brewery regulars having a good old dance. We grabbed our beers and joined in. Well, kind of joined in, standing along the edge singing along and bopping (me) and dog bothering (the chap). 

Soon it was time for me to get my train home. We’d had a lovely relaxed night out though. Saturday morning I introduced little miss to one of my favourite breakfasts. Smoked salmon and scrambled eggs. ‘I’d like this for breakfast every day’ she declared as she lapped it up. I reminded her that pancakes were her favourite breakfast to which she responded, every other day then with pancakes in between! I don’t make pancakes for us every day, they’re a weekend breakfast, so I won’t be rising to this new request, although we may have smoked salmon and scrambled eggs more often now I know she likes it too.

We decided we would take a trip to Harrogate, but halfway there we realised we’d left home too late to make a decent day of it there, so we stopped in York instead. I needed to get little miss some school shoes, so we went to the designer outlet for some Clark’s. 

While perusing, I fell in love with this Michael Kors Alpaca blend jumper. It’s so soft and a beautiful shade of lavender grey, so I bought it for myself as an early birthday present. One thing I know about living in North Yorkshire, a decent jumper is never a waste of money, and given I’ve been looking for a decent jumper (I.e. not 100% Acrylic) for a few weeks, this was exactly what I needed.

Sunday was meant to be a day of chores, and in part it was. I managed to tidy the garden, getting all of the weeds up before Autumn, as well as tidying my lean to. I also managed to kill my washing machine! It came as no surprise, it’s 11 years old and it’s been a slow death that allowed me to save for its replacement, so it was off to Curry’s in the afternoon to choose a new one. 

I also finished the final book in the ACOTAR series. I’m still surprised at how enthralling I found these books. I’m not getting into any more series of books for a while, I’ve lined up a book about folklore of the sea as my next read. 

Seeing the Sights of Paris

 After the grey day at Disneyland, the sunshine and heat returned for our final full day in the city of light. I couldn't wait to let the air into the apartment and gaze out on the square below, knowing that our holiday was drawing to a close. 

I'd decided that a fitting first outing for my posh new handbag was wandering around the streets of Paris. It's far smaller than I'm used to, being a fan of oversized tote bags, but I've quickly discovered that I can actually get most of what I need into it. Not willing to repeat the journey's on the RER that we'd attempted on the first day, we called an Uber and enjoyed the 40 minute journey into the heart of Paris, at leisure. 

We were dropped off at the Eiffel Tower. Little Miss had been so excited to see this particular landmark, although as she looked up to its summit high up in the clear blue sky all she could say was "looking up that high is making me dizzy".

Street artists around the Eiffel tower

Indeed, we were right under the tower! We wandered around the grassy area, and large cordoned areas of people queueing to make the journey up to the top, and found a coffee wagon. A much needed coffee wagon, and a bench to sit and enjoy it. 

Afterwards, we crossed the road away from the tower, and found there was a small street market taking place in the shadow of the tower. I was elated when the first stall we went to was selling beaded bracelets, and finally I managed to find a moonstone one to replace the one I had broken around a year ago! I've been lost without it, and I've scoured so many places to find a replacement, but no, I had to wait to go to France to find it! A bargain it was too at 10 Euro. 

We sat down at one of the trestle tables and bought some sausage and frites for lunch, and fought the wasps for our cans of pop. Alas, I had to concede defeat when a large wasp plunged into my Sprite. Some of the wasps we encountered in France were scary. At least 3 of them were larger than a British hornet. Thankfully we all came off unscathed. 

The Eiffel tower from the opposite side of the Seine

First outing for my Balenciaga bag

Musee d'Art Moderne de Paris

After perusing more of the (mostly souvenirs) available at the street market, we carried on across the Seine on the Pont d'Lena and on the other side walked along in the general direction of the Champs Elysee, since the Arc du Triomphe was another one we wanted to show little miss. Passing multiple tourists, some performing daring feats to capture that all important well posed Instagram photo with the Eiffel tower in the background, we walked for what seemed like miles, looking in awe at the beautiful buildings that surrounded us. It reminded me why I do love Paris so much. 

An all too enticing Paris street cafe beckoned us in for cold beers (and pop for little Miss) and people watching. A fabulous Parisian pastime. I spent my time trying to spot the true Parisians amongst the visitors, it was too easy though. The Parisians have a certain confident nonchalance as they bounce around the streets, that the majority of tourists (me included) most certainly don't exude. It made me wonder if I’m nonchalant when I’m at home, but I’m pretty sure it’s not a personality trait I have, wherever I may be.

After our respite, we carried on walking, finding ourselves on a wide road where people were pulling up outside of the Four Seasons Hotel in chauffeur driven Rolls Royces. Hermes and Goyard just across the street and Louis Vuitton at the top of the road. We went in all of the stores for a look. Then, we were on the Champs Elysee. The hustle and bustle of Paris all leading up to the beautiful Arc. 

We crossed the road to settle ourselves at a gorgeous and typically French street cafe for dinner. I'd craved Beef bourginon the whole time I was in Paris, so I was thrilled to find it on the menu, and it was divine. An espresso martini for dessert and then we carried on walking towards the monument, stopping to take in the strange installation taking up a large swathe of the Champs Elysee which is a giant Louis Vuitton trunk. I couldn't even fit it all in the photo. 

Enjoying dinner in a street cafe

The sun was setting on our days adventures, so after some photos at the Arc du Triomphe it was time to order an Uber to take us back to the apartment to pack for our journey home the next day. It had been an amazing experience. It had been busy, but so much fun and Little Miss had thoroughly enjoyed her first trip to another country.